There was tight, close racing, plenty of passing, daring moves and some pretty spectacular wrecks.

No, I'm not talking about Sunday's Sprint Cup race in Bristol, Tenn., although those final laps only continued to cement my beliefs that NASCAR somehow must incorporate more short-tracks on its schedule.

I stayed up Saturday night to watch the Formula One Australian Grand Prix and saw second-year superstar Lewis Hamilton of Britain take the checkered flag in what was a relatively flawless performance.

However, the rest of the field was hardly perfect, and that's a good thing in a series that in the past has been way too predictable too often.

I've long disagreed with the camp that insists Formula One drivers are the best in the world. I would put Jeff Gordon up against any driver in the world, and I like my case against even more after watching what happened in Sunday's season-opener Down Under.

The Formula One governing body stripped its cars of electronic driver aids, such as traction control, during the offseason, and these drivers looked human throughout the race.

And, again, that is an extremely good thing.

Take defending points champion Kimi Raikonnen, for example. Raikonnen started 15th on the grid but quickly dashed his way through the field, working his way up to third in the first 21 laps. His momentum died after twice spinning off the track due to unforced errors. Raikonnen later parked his Ferrari after suffering engine failure with five laps to go.

It was a wild ride for Raikonnen, and it was a wild race to watch. Formula One is giving us an entertaining product this year after finally putting the racing back into the hands of its drivers.

Tough times
So who had the worst weekend, Ferrari or Rick Hendrick Motorsports?

We now are five races into the Sprint Cup season, and Hendrick drivers have yet to post a victory after combing to win 19 of the 36 races a year ago. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is fifth in points, is the only Hendrick driver in the top 12.

Ferrari's weekend wasn't much better. Raikonnen and teammate Felipe Massa both dropped out due to engine failure, and Ferrari doesn't have much time to figure it out. The series returns to the track for Sunday's Grand Prix of Malaysia in rare back-to-back weekends for the circuit.

Teacher knows best
The National Hot Rod Association's Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tony Pedregon (Funny Cars) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stocks) all won championships last year in their respective classes, and they showed in Sunday's 39th annual Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., that they won't be giving up their crowns without a fight. All three drivers won their classes Sunday.

But the story I loved most about the Gatornationals was what 61-year old Funny Car driver Gary Densham did. Densham, who taught auto shop at a Calfornia-based high school for 30 years, made it to the finals before losing to Pedregon. Densham hadn't won a round this year, but he advanced to his first finals since 2004. His NHRA career dates back to 1979.